Grade 6 · Science · Unit 10 of 12
Traits & Fossils
How offspring resemble parents, and what fossils tell us.
What your child practises
Practises how plants and animals pass traits to their offspring, the difference between inherited traits and learned skills, and how fossils give evidence of how organisms have changed over time.
Nunavut Curriculum approved guide: NWT Science and Technology K–6 (2004), Life science · heredity, traits and behaviours, and fossils as evidence of change
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
A trait is…
- a kind of food
- a type of rock
- a characteristic of an organism
a characteristic of an organism
Hint: Eye colour and fur colour are traits.
Question 2
Fossils provide evidence that…
- Earth is flat
- organisms have changed over time
- all animals are alive now
organisms have changed over time
Hint: Older fossils can differ from living species.
Question 3
Which word describes the passing of traits from parents to offspring?
- gravity
- erosion
- heredity
heredity
Hint: Heredity means inheriting traits.
Question 4
Scientists who study fossils are called…
- palaeontologists
- meteorologists
- astronomers
palaeontologists
Hint: Palaeontologists study ancient life.
Question 5
Which trait do puppies inherit from their parents?
- a haircut
- a trick they learned
- fur colour
fur colour
Hint: Inherited traits are passed from parents.
Question 6
Which pair is most likely to share inherited traits?
- a fish and a hat
- a cat and a tree
- a mother cat and her kitten
a mother cat and her kitten
Hint: Parents and offspring share traits.